Sex Talk: Celibacy Enhanced My Personal Growth

We live in a time when instant gratification has become the norm. From nuking our food in the microwave to making purchases at the click of a button (is Amazon Prime not the plug?). We need things now and if we can’t have what we want immediately, we don’t want it at all.

Abstaining from sex isn’t for everyone, especially those of us who have experienced great sex at any point in our lives. A single sexual experience can leave us believing it’s the world’s greatest gift, but just like all those things we resort to for instant gratification, we can’t truly find happiness or a sense of self-worth in those experiences. In other words, that pleasure that we get from our sexual encounters is only temporary, so we feel great for a moment, but what about long-term?

Celibacy is defined as the state of abstaining from any sexual relations. If you’re thinking about taking the plunge, there are some things that you should consider. First, consider why it is you want to take a shot at celibacy. People abstain for a number of reasons, some of which can be spiritual or for the sake of physical and mental health. For me, I had enough of meaningless encounters and I was also seeking spiritual soundness. I thought the challenge of refraining from my norm would help me achieve this spiritual soundness and that I could walk away feeling whole again.

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You should also consider how eliminating sex would affect your mind and body. I did some “research” to learn what studies said about the physical and mental effects of celibacy because I was no expert. Certain articles proved to be pretty discouraging. Trying to find articles online that supported celibacy was like trying to find an honest person in Hollywood, and a year later it still seems like most articles I find are anti-celibacy. Had I taken those findings to heart and aborted my mission to celibacy, I would still be an emotional wreck.

A few articles that I read, coming from sensational sources, highlight the cons of going celibate. They discuss how celibacy has a negative effect on the immune system, how it can drive the libido down, how it can lead to erectile dysfunction in men and how it can lead to a spike in blood pressure. The few sources I found in favor of celibacy actually discuss conflicting research and place emphasis on the fact that you will drastically lower your risk of STDs and UTIs. This year was the first year I ever caught the flu, and I rarely get sick, so maybe there is some truth to what I found through my “instant research”.